


What Could’ve Been

by Kris_Creations



Category: Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)
Genre: Alternate Reality, F/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:53:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22370584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kris_Creations/pseuds/Kris_Creations
Summary: What could’ve happened had Kyo found Tohru instead of Yuki when they were kids?
Relationships: (Slight) Kyo Sohma/Tohru Honda
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: Added some art I drew for this fic!

  
He couldn’t remember the last time he ran so hard or so desperately, but he had to. He had to help them, he had to help this stranger who accepted him and befriended him. He needed to try to give back to her, for he made a promise to her. Then, he sees them; the hair bobbles. Hair bobbles that he’s seen before on a girl he’s been wanting to meet, and there she is. The bright haired boy looks at the crying girl and feels a sense of relief and happiness come over his young body.

“Hey,” the boy whispers, “it’s ok, you’re ok.” The little girl pulls her hands from her flushed face and stares at him. “You’re lost, right? Do you want some help?” The little girl nods in response and her eyes start to well with more tears.

“I-I’m scared.” She responds, “I want my mommy.” She gives a little hiccup as she lets more tears fall. The boy grabs one of her hands and helps her up.

“I know, but you’re ok now, I’ll take you to your mom.”

“Thank you” the little girl sniffed, “w-what’s your name?”

“Kyo Sohma, you?”

“T-Tohru Honda.”

Kyo didn’t think anyone, let alone a stranger outside of the Sohma family, would accept him. Not until he met this strange woman, a woman named Kyoko Honda. His visit to her family that morning was simply to check on her and her daughter, make sure they’re happy. He never imagined he’d find her crying because her daughter was missing. So, he made a promise, a promise to find and protect Tohru; even if he was young and hot headed, the feelings that have bloomed in his heart have made him determined. Now here he is, having found the girl and is keeping that promise; he never thought he’d feel such pride and accomplishment.

As they are walking up towards the apartments, Kyo looks back to Tohru. She managed to stop crying, but she hadn’t let go of his hand. Her being that close made him worried; he had heard that the rat kid had been found out and all his friends' memories had to be erased. The last thing Kyo wants is to lose Kyoko and Tohru now that he has begun to feel so comfortable with them.

“Um, Mr. Sohma?” Tohru sheepishly asks.

“Hey, I’m not an adult, you can just call me Kyo.” Kyo responds.

“O-ok, K-Kyo, why are you helping me?”

“Well, to be honest, I know your mom. When I came by to see her, she told me you disappeared, so I wanted to help. I’m glad I found you and that you’re ok.” Tohru awkwardly went quiet. For some reason, she began shaking, though her grip never loosened. As they got to the apartment, Tohru spotted her mom waiting by their door. She let go of Kyo’s hand and started running.

“Mom! Mommy!!” Tohru yelled. Kyoko heard her daughter and ran down the stairs.

“Tohru!” Kyoko and her daughter hold each other and cry tears of joy.

As the girls hug each other, Kyo plops himself onto the ground in need of rest, after running around all morning and a giant wave a relief crashing over him, he needed a quick breather. Kyoko looks up to Kyo and smiles kindly at him.

“Thank you, Jari. I probably would’ve fallen apart if it weren't for your support and help.” Kyoko tells him. Tohru looks to Kyo and seems surprised.

“Wait, you actually do know him, Mom?” Tohru asks.

“What are you talking about?” Kyo asks in confusion.

“Well, Mom told me that some mean people will lie to me by saying they know her cause they’d want to hurt me.”

“You thought I was one of those “mean people”?!”

“...maybe for a second…”

“And yet, you still followed me? You idiot, if I was anyone else, they probably would’ve been one of those “mean people” who wanted to hurt you!”

“Well, a part of me also wanted to have faith in you.” The kids continued this bickering and Kyoko couldn’t help but laugh.

“You guys get along even better than I hoped you would!” Kyoko says amongst her giggling, “while this isn’t how I wanted you two to meet, I’m glad everything turned out ok in the end.”

Seeing Kyoko looking at Tohru with such glee and Tohru giving her a big smile brings warmth to Kyo’s heart. He was worried about whether or not Tohru was happy or if she was lonely, but eyeing her smile now brings Kyo’s mouth to turn upward as well. Out of the corner of his eye, Kyo can see Shishou at the edge of the walkway, appearing to be looking for him.

“Well, I’d better head home.” Kyo says as he stands up, “I kinda ran off without telling anyone.”

“Hold on a sec, bud.” Kyoko says as she stands up herself. She places a hand on his head and smiles, “Thank you very much for helping me find Tohru; if there is anything I can do to help pay back this kindness, please let me know.”

“Well, I don’t think-“ before Kyo can finish, Kyoko pulls him into a hug. While he was scared knowing what was about to happen, a part of him felt happy, for he hasn’t had a motherly hug in a long time. Then everything is gone with a poof of orange smoke.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A serious talk of what might come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s this? An update?!!

Tohru couldn’t understand it. This boy who helped her had suddenly turned into an orange cat in her mother's arms. From the look on her mom's face, she seemed just as baffled. The cat wiggles free from her mom and runs towards a man in a kimono with a ponytail. The man must’ve seen what just happened, but he didn’t seem as surprised at the boy’s transformation. He picks up the cat and walks over to Tohru and her mom calmly.

“I know this may be confusing,” the man says to Kyoko, “but is there somewhere more private we can talk?” After a moment's hesitation, Kyoko nods and she and Tohru escort the man and cat-boy into their apartment.

“Hello, this is Kyoko Honda,” Kyoko says on the phone to the police, “I just wanted to inform you guys that my daughter has been found. Thank you guys for your help, have a good day.” Kyoko hung up the phone and sat at the table with the man, Tohru, and Kyo, who had changed back into a boy by this point.

“Before we start, I feel I should introduce myself.” The man said, “I’m Kazuma Sohma, Kyo’s foster parent. I understand you are the person Kyo’s been visiting for a while.”

“Yes, we met about 2 months ago.” Kyoko responded, “I apologize if I’ve kept him away from home for too long on some days.”

“It’s fine, I’m glad he has managed to make a friend...outside the family, that is.” Silence filled the air, but a rising tension stirred.

“Um,” Tohru spoke up, “so, why can Kyo turn into a cat?” Kazuma’s face tightened, but never fully dropped it’s gentleness.

“Tell me, do you two know the folktale of the Chinese Zodiac?” Kazuma asks.

“Yes! Mommy told me about the story not too long ago! I love it!”

“Then you know about the cat in that tale?”

“Yes I do! I feel so bad for the poor cat, so I decided that I wanted to become the year of the cat instead of being the dog!” Kazuma and Kyo looked at her weirdly and then Kazuma burst into laughter while Kyo buried his face into his hands with embarrassment.

“What’s so funny?” Kyoko questions.

“My apologies, it’s just a little relieving to hear of someone who is fond of the cat.” Kazuma calms his laughter and places a hand onto Kyo’s head. “You see, I bring up the zodiac because Kyo is actually the cat of that tale.”

“What do you mean?” Kyoko asked.

“Well, the Sohma clan is a bit...different from other families. For generations, some of us have been cursed with the 13 animals of the Zodiac. You see, the way the curse works is once a member of the zodiac is hugged by someone of the opposing gender, they transform into whatever respected animal they represent.”

“They transform? Why?” Tohru prods.

“No one knows,” Kazuma responds, “but that’s how we’ve been for ages. This is a big secret that even some of those who share the ‘Sohma’ name are unaware of. So, you can understand how you as outsiders finding out is a big deal.”

Kazuma looked to Kyo, who was staring at the ground and his fists tightened on his shirt. Kyoko glared at Kazuma with a protective hand on Tohru’s, grasping it for assurance. Despite what dangers can come from this, Kazuma decides to do what’s best for Kyo.

“Normally, we erase the memories of those who find out. Leaving their life before meeting a Sohma intact. However, if you swear to keep this a secret, I will not report this to our family head and you may keep your memories.” Kyo looked up in alarm to Kazuma, fear and relief reflecting his crimson eyes. Kazuma smiles back at him confidently.

“You should know, though. Those possessed by the Zodiac would not be able to refuse Akito. If Akito asks Kyo about this, Kyo will have no choice but to tell the truth. Since Kyo is considered an outcast of the Sohma’s, though, we may be able to keep this under wraps for a while.”

Kyoko’s glare never faltered, though her grip on Tohru’s hand has lightened. The young girl studied her mom. Her mom said her she used to be a yankee, but this is the first time Tohru felt she saw her mom's old yankee spirit.

“W-what do you mean ‘outcast’?” Tohru asked hesitantly.

“It means I’m not actually a member!” Kyo spat. It was the first words he said since they entered the apartment, so his outburst caught even Kazuma by surprise. “Even though I am cursed like them, I can never be part of their stupid circle!”

Silence filled the room; Kyo shook in anger, but Tohru felt there was a twinge of sadness in his eyes. No one knew what to say as all this information sunk into the Honda family. Kyoko has let go of her daughter's hand and tapped her fingers on the brim of her tea cup. Kazuma finished his cup of tea, while Tohru and Kyo still haven’t taken a single sip.

Despite all that’s transpired, Tohru was more worried about Kyo than about this ‘curse’. Kyo hasn’t looked at her since he transformed and a part of Tohru longed to know more about him. Before she could try to get his attention, her mom pats Tohru on the head.

“Tohru, I know all this is weird.” Kyoko says, “If you want to forget this and have everything go back to normal, we can make that happen.” Tohru looked at her mom in surprise. For as long as she lived, her mom has never backed down from a challenge, but with how serious she is treating this, Tohru knew this wasn’t something small that can be handled in a care free attitude. She looked to Kazuma, who is pouring himself another cup of tea, but glancing curiously at Tohru.

“That can be arranged, if you wish.” He states, “however, know that if you decide to get your memories erased, the Sohma’s will have to do what we can to never have any of us meet again.”

His words pierced Tohru’s young heart. After falling into what feels like one of her mother's fairy tales, if she chooses to forget, she’ll never meet Kyo again? She’ll never get a chance to befriend and pay back the one boy who has shown her kindness. If she did choose to forget, her mom would most likely forget Kyo too. And from the look on her face, it’s clear her mom would also be hurt forgetting Kyo. After taking a minute to swallow the lump forming in her throat, she looks up to the Sohma men with a big, determined smile.

“Don’t you worry! Your secret's safe with me! I love the cat from the zodiac, so I want to get to know you more and be your friend...only if it’s ok with you, Kyo.” For the first time since he transformed, he looked Tohru in the eye, his face red with embarrassment, but eyes reflecting surprise and a ray of happiness. He looked down again with a small nod in agreement.

“Alright. We are in agreement.” Kazuma said as he gulped the last of his second cup of tea. “If it’s alright with you, Mrs. Honda, I’ll come by and check in as often as I can to ensure that there’s no need for worry.”

“So, you’re doubting my sweet Tohru and I, huh?!” Kyoko’s yankee blood heated up.

“I wish that wasn’t the case, but you have to understand that this is something big to us Sohma’s. We’ve never allowed someone outside the family to continue knowing the secret before, so you’ll have to forgive my concern.”

“Well, Tohru and I are very trustworthy. Right, hun?”

“Absolutely! Mommy told me it’s not nice to gossip, so my lips are sealed!” Tohru gestures that she zips her lips and gives a big thumbs up.

Kazuma gives a chuckle and Kyo rolls his eyes while giving a small smile. Kyoko and Kazuma stayed behind to exchange phone information in case of an emergency while Tohru walked Kyo out to the entrance of the apartment complex.

“Hey,” Kyo awkwardly asked, “why did you to end up lost in the first place?”

“Uh…” Tohru hesitates, “it was...nothing. I just got lost.”

Tohru could tell Kyo didn’t believe her. She tried to hide her face as his vibrant eyes tried to study her face. After a moment, he shrugged it off and looked away; allowing Tohru to catch her breath.

“Fine,” Kyo sighed, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow after school, then.” Tohru looked at him confused.

“What?”

“Well, to prevent you from getting “lost” again, I figured it’s only right to walk you home after school.”

“N-no, you don’t have to do that! I wouldn’t want to give you trouble!”

“You don’t need to freak out. It’s my choice, so I am choosing to do it.”

Tohru couldn’t say it. She couldn’t tell Kyo about the boys who chased her. She couldn’t tell him or her mom about how the school boys pick on her all the time. She was scared. Scared her mom wouldn’t love her anymore and leave her. Scared Kyo would start picking on her as well as those boys. She wouldn’t be able to handle both her mom and the cat of the zodiac hate her. But she couldn’t turn down Kyo. It was clear he wasn’t going to take no for an answer, so she quietly gave in and prayed the other kids won’t pick on her in front of him.

The Honda’s and the Sohma men go their separate ways for the day. Dinner that night was different than usual between Kyoko and Tohru; instead of laughing and talking about everything under the sun, Kyoko quietly served Tohru her plate and held a serious look on her face. Tohru was starting to get worried about the atmosphere and what all this is going to hold for them in the future.

“M-mom?” Tohru asked, her mom looking up to her daughter and immediately gave her a light smile.

“Yes, sweety?”

“What happens now? Are we gonna be ok?” Kyoko is left speechless for a minute, unable to respond to her daughter's question right away. Tohru could see her mom wasn’t positive on where this discovery would lead them. After taking a deep breath, she walks over and hugs her daughter.

“We’ll be fine. I promise nothing will happen to us.”


	3. Chapter 3

Kyo stood by the entrance to the co-ed primary school and couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. There were so many girls there who would stop and stare at him, sometimes even try to talk to him. He was half tempted to run away, but he was there for a reason, and he swore to himself that he wouldn’t back down. So he swallowed his fear and did what he could to ignore the curious girls.

He glanced around, looking for hair bobbles amongst the crowd. Unlike his school uniform, everyone here was wearing casual clothes. It made him feel even more self conscious while standing there. He started to become impatient and almost went onto the school property to track her down. However, a glimpse of pink in the crowd finally made him relax.

Tohru glanced the crowd for a second, but spotted the orange haired boy by her school’s gates. Kyo noticed she kept looking over her shoulder as she approached him, almost scared something would happen. Was he the one making her tread cautiously, or was she trying to avoid something? Or someone? He didn’t delve too deep into that thought and pushed himself off the wall towards her.

“Mr. S- I mean, Kyo! You came?” Tohru exclaimed.

“What’d I say yesterday? I said I would walk you home, didn’t I?” He replied. Her cheeks turned pink and she awkwardly nodded in response.

Kyo looked around them into the crowd of grade-school kids. Some of the girls seem to have gotten even more curious with the addition of Tohru and started whispering amongst themselves. While the topic they’re whispering about would make Kyo embarrassed, he was too focused on a group of boys on the other side of the crowd.

The boys were looking directly at Kyo and would glance at Tohru on occasion. While everyone was doing the same thing, the boys looked more annoyed than curious. Kyo was about to write them off as grumpy brats, he noticed Tohru also staring at the group. She clearly seemed shaken up, as after she saw Kyo was looking at them, she grabbed his hand and started walking away from the school.

“W-well, Kyo. Come on! Mom left us some snacks to eat while doing homework together, so we should get home.” Kyo gives the boys a final glare before responding to what Tohru said.

“Hey, I didn’t say I would do homework with you. Just that I would walk you home.”

“Oh please? Mom won’t be home till later and we can use this time to get to know each other more! Please??” She gives him the biggest pleading look he’s ever seen on someone besides Kagura and his cheeks couldn’t help but redden at the sight.

In a defeatist tone, he spits a quick ‘fine’ and Tohru gleefully skips ahead of him in excitement. As they walk home, Kyo notices that Tohru does seem to know how to get home after school after all. His suspicions were piqued and his curiosity got the better of him.

“What actually happened the other day?” Kyo asked. Tohru slowed her pace and looked down.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t believe the story of you getting lost on your way home from school. How did you end up in that ally?” No response. “Was it that group of boys from your scho-“

“NO!” Tohru shouted, “th-they didn’t do anything. I just spaced out and lost track of where I was going. I swear!” She was shaking at this point, tears welling in her eyes. Kyo felt it was probably better not to probe her anymore about the topic, but he couldn’t just leave things as they are. So he took her hand and started leading them towards the apartment.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, whatever. But you should speak up if there is someone bothering you. Whether you tell your teacher, your mom, or even me; there’s no shame in telling someone if you’re being picked on.” Kyo encouraged. Tohru squeezed his hands and let a few tears fall.

“B-but what if mom won’t love me anymore? I’m not strong enough to tell them to stop; what if mom abandons me?”

Kyo reflected on something Kyoko said when they talked about the death of Katsuya Honda. ‘I think I did something to make her sad. Maybe the world doesn’t need me, but there’s still one person who’s kind enough to need me.’ With the memory still so fresh in his mind, Kyo stops and looks Tohru in the eye.

“Look, your mom loves you. In fact, she loves you more than I’ve seen anyone truly love anything. The last thing she would do is abandon you over something as stupid as a couple brats teasing you.” With those words, the water works kept pooling out of Tohru’s eyes.

They stood on the side of the walking path while Tohru cried enough tears to have adults and kids staring in judgement and concern. Luckily, after one glare of Kyo, the nosy strangers kept walking without asking any annoying questions. Once Tohru’s eyes ran dry, they were able to finally make it the rest of the way to Tohru’s home. Kyoko must’ve been worried about some of the stuff that’s happened, as she was already at the apartment when the children walk through the door.

“Tohru! Are you ok? Your eyes are red!” The concerned mother eyed Kyo, but not in blame; she gave him a look of curiousity, hoping he could answer her question as Tohru froze up. Tohru also looked to Kyo, but her gaze was more for confirmation; knowing what she’s asking, he gives a nod. Tohru took a deep breathe and surprised both Kyo and Kyoko by bravely eyeing her mother directly.

“Mom, I’m so sorry. The reason I got lost yesterday was because a couple of boys from school chased me around the neighborhood. After I lost them, I didn’t know how to get back home and I was also scared the boys would come back, so I didn’t move until Kyo found me. I’m so so sorry mom, please don’t hate me!” Water works began forming in her eyes again and Kyoko cupped her daughters face.

“Oh sweetly, it’s ok. I could never hate you! There is nothing shameful about admitting you’re being bullied. I’m just so glad you told me, I can tell it took a lot of courage. I am so proud of you and I love you so much, Tohru!” The mother and daughter embrace and Kyo took this as an opportunity to leave. Before he could, however, the ex-yankee grabbed his shirt.

“Oh no you don’t, mister! Not so fast!” Kyoko dragged the boy into the hug with her daughter. A meep escaped his mouth as he transformed into a cat in their arms.

“Come on, you hag! What the hell?!”

“This is both a thank you and a punishment. Thank you for walking Tohru home today, but how dare you allow her to cry!” Kyoko partially teased, “From now on, I better not see my daughter with puffy eyes, got it?!”

“Fine, but you didn’t have to tell me like this!”

“Oh, but I did, Jari.” Kyoko squeezed the cat into her arms, “you’re just so cute, I couldn’t help myself!” Kyo tried to scratch at her to let go, but to no avail, she was not gonna let go so soon. “Tohru, do you want to hold him?”

“Wah?! No, no thank you, mom...I don’t think Kyo would like that.”

“Nonsense!” Kyoko leaned into Kyo’s cat ear and whispered, “try scratching her, and you can say goodbye to your share of the snacks!”

“I don’t want any sna-“ Kyo is then flopped into Tohru’’s little arms. The girl is awkward about holding the cat at first, as she knows he is also a human, but his soft fur and small warm body got the better of her as her eyes started glistening with ‘oh so cute’ excitement.

Tohru holds Kyo for a minute before a annoyed growl from him told her he wanted to be put down. She gently places him on the ground and the cat gave a huff as he sauntered over to his clothes. Carefully grabbing his bracelet and bunching the clothes into a pile, he dragged them towards the restroom and managed to close the door.

“Oh, come on, Kitty-Kyo, don’t be like that! We were just messing around!”

“Remind me never to drop by here again!” He hissed from the restroom.

“I’m sorry, Kyo! I didn’t mean to upset you after you helped me! Please visit again!” Hearing the desperate pleading in her voice, he felt obligated to do as Tohru asked.

After a few minutes, a loud poof came from the bathroom and Kyo emerged as a fully re-clothed boy. Tohru, sitting at the table looking discouraged, sat next to Kyoko, who had an apologetic embarrassed look on her face. On the table, there was a dish with Castella’s on it and a fresh pot of tea; three tea cups and plates on three sides of the table. With a defeated sigh, Kyo joined the Honda’s at the table; Tohru’s face immediately brightened up at the action. Seeing how happy she was, Kyo felt his own face brighten a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Castella is a Japanese sponge cake similar to wagashi.


End file.
